F  ridays were never particularly calm days in the BigHit building, but it seemed especially busy today.

Of course, Kwang Sun thought, that was to be expected.

The trainee made his way carefully through the hallways, avoiding scrambling staff members and bowing to the ones who looked his way.

I wonder who made the group?

He'd heard the list was supposed to be posted today. He wasn't sure if he was going to check it or not - a few of the trainees he hung out with regularly had been in the top fifteen so if they'd made it he should congratulate them, but at the same time he wasn't sure he could handle not seeing his name up there. Do Young would tell him if he'd made it anyway, and he could probably get the other boy to give him the names of the rest of the group as well.

So he made his way towards the trainee practice room instead, mentally bracing himself for the inevitable bad mood that Min Ho would be in.

However, half way to his destination he was intercepted by another trainee.

"Kwang Sun! Hey, there you are! Come on, we have practice in ten and you know how Jae Yi hyung gets when we start late." Joey Kim grinned at him brightly.

Kwang Sun furrowed his brow. "I'm heading to practice now?" He gestured down the hallway, and Joey looked ocnfused for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes.

"Oh my gosh, you didn't check the list, did you? Kwang Sun you made the group! Now come on Do Young is starting fights again and you're better about reigning him in than I am."

Kwang Sun blinked and allowed Joey to tug him back down the hallway, his mind blurred with confusion.

I made the group?

He hadn't even been in the top fifteen. How had he made the group? He almost didn't believe Joey, but he'd never known the elder boy to make jokes like this (though to be fair Kwang Sun never understood Joey's humor so who could really say for sure?).

He followed meekly all the way to the project group's room, his mind buzzing with questions that never reached his mouth.

Joey tossed open the door and pulled Kwang Sun into the chaos beyond it.

Within moments his other friend appeared next to him, mouth pinched down into a frown. "Hey Kwang Sun, there you are. Tell that idiot Moon Ho that I should have been the main rapper in the group. I'm a way better rapper than him!"

Kwang Sun was once again struck by the thought that he has no idea how or why he had become friends with Do Young, but he quickly moved on from it so he could address his friend.

"I'm sure the company has their reasons Do Young, complaining doesn't do anything."

The rapper groaned. "You're never helpful." He grumbled, but the topic was dropped and he joined Joey and Kwang Sun as they warmed up in their own corner of the room, a steady stream of chatter coming from their youngest friend the entire time.

Jae Yi's voice cut through Do Young's prattling as the dance instructor entered the practice.

"Alright guys, let's get started. Mr. Do is working with BTS so today you get yours truly to work on your dancing."

Do Young groaned, but Jae Yi practicedly ignored him, instead clapping his hands together.

"Boss Man Bang wants a short dance ready by this afternoon for the public lineup reveal so let's get started people!"

Kwang Sun moved on instinct. Jae Yi's formations were usually pretty similar, which meant he was going to be at the back.

Do Young followed him, while Joey joined the "better dancers" closer to the front.

"Why couldn't we get Min Ho? He's pushy but at least he acknowledges my awesomeness." Kwang Sun could hear Do Young's usual complaining, and he nodded tiredly, only half tuned-in to his friend.

He still felt slightly disconnected, as if his reality and the world's reality weren't quite lined up. He had made the group, and he was excited but still confused.

During their first water break three hours after practice started, he realized he didn't know what position he was. Obviously they had been given out, based on Do Young's continued complaints about only being the lead rapper, but he'd never actually seen the list.

He didn't think to ask Joey about it until their next break though.

His friend looked surprised. "Main vocal! What else would you be Kwangie?"

Kwang Sun took a moment to look annoyed by the nickname before processing what Joey had actually said.

"Main vocal? What about Min?" He glanced over to where the younger boy was having a rather intense debate with Tim.

Do Young scoffed. "There are two main vocals. Which makes it even more ridiculous that-"

Kwang Sun suppressed an eye roll as Do Young launched into yet another rant about how unskilled Moon Ho actually is, and how he was being unfairly favored.

His eyes land on the subject of Do Young's whining a moment later. Moon Ho was definitely close enough to hear the teen's loud declarations but he showed no reaction to them, sitting quietly by himself and drinking his water.

For the first time Kwang Sun took some time to actually look around at the other members of the group. They were a rather odd combination - anti-social shut ins like Moon Ho and Hyun Woo mixed with hyper extroverts like Min, Tim, and Sun Hee. It certainly promised excitement for the team, if not functionality.

Not to mention August and Eun Gwang. He definitely wouldn't have called either of them being chosen. Both were rather socially inept in their own ways, and to be an idol you needed to be calm and collected at all times. Could they manage that?

Heck, could he?

Yoon Min had absolutely no idea how he had managed to get into the group after the complete disaster on Monday, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

So instead of fretting he embraced his luck and bounded cheerfully to the project group practice room.

He was one of the first ones there, and he contemplated setting up a prank - Moon Ho wouldn't tell on him, he never did - but then remembered how well that had worked out for him earlier in the week.

Maybe he would just warm up instead.

Tim and Sun Hee entered the room together, naturally, and they ended up stretching nearby.

Min knew he shouldn't engage them. Things always managed to go sideways whenever he did. But they were right there, and he was getting bored.

"Hey guys." He greeted cheerfully.

Tim grinned over at him. "Hey Min! What are you doing here?"

It always was right to the point with Tim. "Being the most awesome member of the group." He replied without missing a beat.

"Sorry, that spot is already taken, try again." Sun Hee jumped into the conversation, pausing his stretching to make sure the other two paid attention to his contribution.

Min rolled his eyes. "Sure, if we were a girl group it would be, but I'm afraid they misplaced you hyung." There was no malice in the words, but Min knew it would be enough to wind up the overdramatic trainee.

Sure enough Sun Hee stopped stretching again and pointedly stood up so he could pose, hand on his hip and hair flipped just so. "Wrong again pretty boy, I am the most awesome member of all groups ever, male or female, and you suggesting that I'm not is the greatest insult you have ever given me!"

They were getting a few annoyed glances from the other boys now, but Min was enjoying himself too much to really care. Sun Hee wasn't exactly a friend of his, not in the way Tim was, but the elder was still easily one of his favorite people based on his attitude alone.

However, any further conversation had to be halted when Jae Yi entered and started practice.

Min was a little dissapointed that it was Jae Yi running rehearsal instead of one of the other dance instructors. Aside from being new, Jae Yi was definitely one of the stricter teachers, and while Min could definitely appreciate a no-nonsense attitude Jae Yi tended towards arrogance with his instructions.

Min didn't have much more energy to spare on idle thoughts as practice kicked into high gear, and all his focus went into not stepping on anyone else's toes.

Min didn't think of himself as a bad dancer by any stretch, he could keep up with the toughest of choreographies, but BigHit seemed particularly intense when it came to dance. And so despite not being bad, Min definitely woudn't consider himself particularly good either, at least not by BigHit standards.

Not that they'd ever let him think that.

"Min you're half a beat behind in the third measure, pick up your feet."

Min sighed and attempted to remember which move that was. The group was having a quick breather to listen to Jae Yi tell them what they were doing wrong. Min knew it was useful, but it was hard to think that way when being given the same note over an over.

That was anothe reason he didn't like when Jae Yi was in charge.

He said as much to Tim and Sun Hee while they were enjoying a water break.

"Honestly can't he notice anything else?"

"Not his fault you keep making the same mistakes over and over, you really ought to fix those if it bugs you so much." Sun Hee pointed out cheerily.

Min rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course, how silly of me. I would never have thought to do the obvious!" He tried to keep the bite out of his voice, but times like this were exactly why he and Sun Hee weren't good friends.

"Well then it's good we're here to keep your head screwed on." Tim replied smuggly.

It took a moment for Min to decipher what the other trainee had said, but once he did it was on. "My head screwed on? Please, you fall into dramatics at the drop of a hat. You're more girl than boy with all the overreactions you have!"

So that was probably a little too far, but Min was having fun. And nothing got in the way of him and fun.

Well, nothing except stupid Jae Yi announcing they've been resting for long enough and get back into formation.

Min  has decided that he hates dancing by the end of the lesson.

But at least it was over and he could go back to the dorms, make a mag recipe - maybe that bannana bread recipe he'd been looking at a few days ago - and listen to one of his jazz playlists. He deserved that after restraining himself from causing any mayhem today.

He showered quickly and hurried back towards the dorms, wanting to beat the other trainees so he could get a bit of quiet time to himself.

However when he arrived his hopes were dashed when he opened the door and found Alec Son sitting in the 'lobby'. Really the area was just a small room with a couch someone had probably dragged in from the street, but Min liked calling it a lobby.

He attempted to get by his loud hyung unnoticed, but failed miserably.

"Min! Buddy! Hey is practice over already?"

Min sighed as Alec waved him over, and he relented, sitting next to the other trainee.

Alec was nice enough, but really Min wanted a quiet hour to himself. And Alec was definitely not quiet.

As he mourned the banana bread that was not to be, he found himself thinking a rather mean thought.

At least he's not in the group.

Hyun Woo wouldn't say that he was upset about being in the group, as he certainly wasn't.

He just didn't quite appreciate the number of other people who are also in said group. When he'd seen the list of project group trainees he at first thought there had to have been a mistake.

But really, ten members wasn't unheard of for groups, if perhaps a bit on the larger side. He was just unfortunate enough to have ended up in one of said larger groups.

He momentarily eyed the other people in the practice room as he entered, but quickly moved on to his own stretching and warmups. So long as they didn't bother him he couldn't care too much about the numbers.

He could see the other members of the project group filtering into the room from the corner of his eye but he didn't pay them much attention.

The practice started shortly after the last trainees stumbled through the door, and it was no different than any other practice as far as Hyun Woo could tell.

It was a new choreography they were working with of course, but that in and of itself wasn't odd at all. Sometimes you'd end up working on two entirely different dances in the same day if you had a teacher swap part way through.

Really, the trainers weren't very well organized for a company that was supposedly doing rather well in the industry. You'd think they could afford to hire staff who knew how to organize themselves.

But Hyun Woo wasn't the CEO and surely the man had some idea of what he was doing so Hyun Woo didn't question it too much.

Practice wore on, following the same familiar rythm it always did. Two hours of dance, five minutes of break with individual critiques, another hour and a ten minute water break before the last hour. Hyun Woo could probably set a clock to the routine it was so regular. Especially when Jae Yi was running the show.

The one thing that was different was the camera blinking on one end of the room. It wasn't very large, and rather easy to overlook considering other rooms did have cameras, but it was rare to never that said cameras were recording for the entirety of the practice.

Hyun Woo didn't think anyone else was paying the camera much mind, but as the one thing out of place in a usually standard procedure it had his interest.

Jae Yi had mentioned that the dance had to be ready by the afternoon - would their best run through be released publically? And would that be the end of the camera or would it stay on for every practice?

Hyun Woo can admit he enjoyed the trainee project that had formed the group. He'd read the video comments before sleeping most nights and the overwhelming praise for his visuals was something he could get used to reading on a regular basis.

Conversely being contantly followed could be something of a hassle if he ever wanted private time. Or if the group got into arguments, as they had a number of times already since the lesson had begun.

Hyun Woo of course was never involved in those quarrels, but it could turn out badly for him if it was revealed he was in a dysfunctional group, especially this early.

But he did marginally trust BigHit to not release anything incriminating. After all they'd done well with BTS so far, surely another group shouldn't be much different. But still, Hyun Woo wasn't sure how he felt about the camera.

So he asked Jae Yi about it after practice.

The dance instructor looked surprised by the question. "That was just to get footage of the dance for the lineup announcement tonight. There will be Youtube shorts but you'll be informed if one is being filmed. Were you not told that already?"

Hyun Woo shrugged. "I've been told now. See you tomorrow hyung."

Jae Yi nodded as Hyun Woo left, though there was still a look of perplexion on his face.

Hyun Woo didn't pay it mind though. He had his answer, now he just wanted a shower. Dancing was not his favorite thing to do, not least because of how sweaty it always was.

He skipped over the showers closest to the practice rooms, and instead opted to walk a bit further to enjoy the relatively more private showers in the secondary lockers.

Once this section had been for the female trainees, but after everything that had happened with GLAM BigHit had focused more on the male side of things, and eventually there were simply no females left. They'd all either left for other companies or dropped the dream entirely when their contracts expired.

Hyun Woo was glad for it though. It meant he had an entire lockeroom essentially to himself. Occasionally another trainee would be there, but it was a rare occurence since many still associated it with the girls and thought it weird to go there.

Hyun Woo took his time cleaning up, and then took even more time reapplying his makeup. Some of the other trainees for being so efficient with the stuff, but he was beautiful and they weren't.

He was also debuting and they weren't. So really, who was laughing now?

CALI

... I posted eventually?? OTL I'm so sorry for the wait guys, but I have a job now! So maybe legit excuse? XD Anyway a lot of this was written tonight in a haze of exhaustion and " gotta update before March is over" panic so the last half will probably be a drop in quality. But I updated? Do I get participation points? XD But seriously, hope you guys like it anyway and I'll try to get the next chapter out... within the month. That is all I promise OTL